Tweets of the Mayoral Race: Allen Temple Forum

The race to become Oakland’s next mayor is serious business with serious consequences for the people of East Oakland, who often face issues that only major city hall policy change can affect. As election day draws near, the candidates’ positions on everything from health to economic growth are scrutinized. On October 22nd at Allen Temple Arms, The East Oakland Building Healthy Communities organization hosted a forum for the mayoral candidates. The format was somewhat unusual: members of the community spoke to the room, telling their stories. Candidates could elect to respond to each issue as they chose, but they needed to keep in within the alloted time. The forum focused on four major issues: housing costs, food availability, environmental health, and economic growth.

Oakland Voices (@OaklandVoices) covered the forum through video, print, and social media. Below are some of our favorite Twitter moments from the evening.

Several other residents stood up to speak about their experiences living in East Oakland, including a father who took his young son on a walk, looking for fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables. Candidates talked about ways to help the city with problems like these:

Issue 2: food, community gardens, and grocery stores. "6 corner stores in 7 blocks. 0 had fresh produce."- local father

…and how, through measure EE, this community resident escaped unsafe living conditions, and was proud to be the first person who opened the kitchen cabinets in her new home, with help from public assistance.

The event ended with a warm thank you to all the speakers, guests, and candidates. Strangers turned to one another to exchange thoughts on who did well, who was off-base. Opinions varied, but everyone was pleased to see the mayoral candidates speak so passionately to our community.

About Sara Rowley
Sara is a proud resident of the Clinton/East Lake area of Oakland, where she enjoys her current gig as a stay-at-home mom. She grew up in Minnesota and Colorado before moving to the Bay Area in 2006. She has a background in art and worked as a graphic designer for many years. She feels her connection to the community is best held by exploring new places, asking people about their stories, and bearing witness to the changes surrounding us all.